Embassy Events
Security Challenges for Slovakia are Subject of Ambassador's Speech in Bratislava
June 11, 2008
Ambassador Vincent Obsitnik voiced concern over a number of security challenges facing the United States, Slovakia, and the rest of the international community in an address given at the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (SFPA) in Bratislava on June 11. Speaking to an SFPA audience that included representatives from several other foreign embassies in Bratislava, Ambassador Obsitnik discussed the need for Slovakia’s cooperation in dealing with threats to stability and prosperity posed by the terrorist insurgency in Afghanistan, unrest in the Balkans, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. “It is a source of pride to me that the U.S. and Slovakia, as well as other nations of the former Warsaw Pact, are today working side-by-side in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Obsitnik said. He stressed, though, that while Afghanistan has made significant progress since the U.S. invasion in 2001, the job there is not finished. He also spoke about the need for the peaceful integration of Serbia and newly independent Kosovo into the European community, urging Slovakia to encourage Serbs to adopt a path toward EU membership, before touching on the importance of missile defense systems against the threat of weapons of mass destruction. A question-and-answer session following the address, moderated by Director of the SFPA Mr. Alexander Duleba, gave Ambassador Obsitnik the opportunity to discuss other issues with the audience, including the upcoming U.S. presidential election, American values, and the future of U.S. foreign policy, especially bilateral relations with Slovakia.